Dr. Wei Zhang’s research has been focused on a variety of human behavior phenomena and principles, which were expanded by interdisciplinary projects in Motor Control, Biomechanics, Neuroscience, Bioengineering, and Psychology. Her recent research interest has an emphasis on the neural and biomechanical bases of human hand control by investigating healthy young and elderly individuals, and patients with neuromuscular disorders through different dexterous manual tasks. Dr. Zhang pursued these studies to address a number of questions: 1) how the center nervous system coordinates multiple effectors in a motor redundant system, 2) how aging and neurological disorders affect peripheral functional control, 3) how does the brain integrate the ascending sensation information with the descending motor commands in a sensorimotor learning and transfer process, and 4) what features of impaired hand function can be recovered through rehabilitation.
Findings from Dr. Zhang’s studies would provide significant insight into basic mechanisms of neuroplasticity in healthy and neurologically impaired individuals, thus leading to better techniques and rehabilitation interventions to alleviate functional deficits due to neurological disorders and aging, improving the clinical diagnosis and decision making, and ultimately optimizing the prosthetic device control on the brain-machine-brain interface.
Degrees
Ph. D., The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
M. S., Beijing Sports University, Beijing, China
B. S., Beijing Sports University, Beijing, China
1. Zhang W, Johnston JA, Ross MA, Sanniec K, Dueck AC, Gleason E, and Santello M. Effects of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on dexterous manipulation are grip type-dependent. PLoS ONE 2013; 8(1):e53751.
2. Zhang W, Johnston JA, Ross MA, Coakley BJ, Dueck AC, Gleason E, and Santello M. Effects of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on adaptation of multi-digit forces to object mass distribution for whole-hand manipulation. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2012; 9(83).
3. Skm V, Zhang W, Zatsiorsky VM, and Latash ML. Age effects of rotational hand action. Human Movement Science 2012; 31(3):502-518
4. Zhang W, Johnston JA, Ross MA, Smith AA, Coakley BJ, Gleason E, Dueck AC, and Santello M. Effects of carpal tunnel syndrome on adaptation of multi-digit forces to object weight for whole-hand manipulation. PLoS ONE 2011; 6(11): e27715.
5. Zhang W, Gordon AM, McIsaac TL and Santello M. Within-trial modulation of multi-digit forces to friction. Exp Brain Res 2011; 211:17–26
6. Zhang W, Gordon AM, Fu Q and Santello M. Manipulation after object rotation reveals independent sensorimotor memory representations of digit positions and forces. J Neurophysiol 2010; 103(6):2953-64
7. Fu Q, Zhang W and Santello M. Learning of the anticipatory mapping between digit positions and forces in two-digit object manipulation. Neuroscience 2010; 30(27):9117-26
8. Zhang W, Olafsdottir HB, Zatsiorsky VM and Latash ML. Mechanical analysis and hierarchies of multi-digit synergies during accurate object rotations. Motor Control 2009; 13: 251-279
9. McIsaac TL, Santello M, Johnston JA, Zhang W, and Gordon AM. Task-specific modulation of multi-digit forces to object texture. Exp Brain Res 2009; 194(1): 79-90
10. Zhang W, Scholz JP, Zatsiorsky VM and Latash ML. What do synergies do? Effects of secondary constraints on multi-digits synergies of accurate force production tasks. J Neurophysiol 2008; 99(2):500-13
11. Zhang W and Rosenbaum DA. Planning for manual positioning: the end-state comfort effect for manual abduction-adduction. Exp Brain Res 2008; 184(3):383-9
12. Olafsdottir HB, Zhang W, Zatsiorsky VM, and Latash ML. Age related changes in multi-finger synergies in accurate moment of force production tasks. J Appl Physiol 2007; 102(4):1490-501
13. Zhang W, Zatsiorsky VM, and Latash ML. Finger synergies during multi-finger cyclic production of moment of force. Exp Brain Res 2007; 177(2):243-54.
